Project Coordinator: Helena Laraque. Cover Illustration: John Williamson.

The authors describe the process and constraints involved in gathering and verifying Dene Kedǝ terminology related to renewable resources. The rest of the document includes lists of terms that have been translated, will be translated, and participants.

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A physical copy of this resources is held at the University of Aberta Library in the Circumpolar Collection (Cameron), call number PM 2365 M37 1994. Last accessed July 2017.

Masuzumi, Barney, Dora Grandjambe, and Petr Cizek [Dene Cultural Institute]. North Slavey Terminology and Concepts Related to Renewable Resources: An Interim Report, Tı̨ch’ádı Hek’éyedıts’ǝ́dı gha Xǝdǝ Hé Goghǫ Dáts’enıwę Ghǫ Ɂedátl’e. Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Renewable Resources: Yellowknife, 1994.

Students (full time and part time) of the Interpreter/Translator program at Arctic College, Thebacha campus, developed this terminology between 1990 and 1993. The instructor was Marlene Semsch. Most of the words in the publication are included if they meet the standard of having been agreed upon by a group of two or three students.

The key vocabulary topics include: Language Issues, Social Issues, Environment, Education, Medical, Rules of Order, and Land Claims. Some examples include:

Appendix, “ɂenı́tłe golódátłe”
Bursarıes (money to go to school) “sǫ́baa bet’a enı̨htłé kǫ́ ɂats’etı̨”
Agenda, “ayı goghǫ gots’ude”
Meetıng, “gots’ede”
Unanımous consent, “dene areyǫné heɂę enakı̨t’éle”

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Semsch, Marlene and Students. No title. Interpreter/Translator Program North Slavey Terminology Lists. Fort Smith: Arctic College, Thebacha Campus, 1993.

This article provides a historical overview of interpreter/translator (I/T) training in the Northwest Territories, focusing on Arctic College programs at Thebacha Campus (Fort Smith) as compared with Nunatta Campus (Iqaluit). The Northwest Territories Department of Information formed the Interpreter Corps in 1979, and launched I/T training at the same time. The same department became Culture and Communications a few years later, and the program was renamed “the Language Bureau,” which in 1993 provided on the job training for Dene or Inuktitut-English employees.

In 1987, a one-year I/T certificate program was developed at Arctic College by Marilyn Phillips and the Language Bureau. By 1993, a second year diploma was in place. At the time of this paper’s writing, it was offered in two locations: Thebacha (for Dene students) and Nunatta (for Inuit Students). To qualify for the program, students had to be orally fluent in Dene and have completed Grade 10. They often learn to write in their language in the program, “since a standardized system of writing Anthapaskan languages [had] only recently been accepted” (96). The languages taught were “Gwich’in, North Slavey, South Slavey, Dogrib, and Chipewyan,” (96) and the Dene classes were “Professional Development, Northern Studies, Keyboarding, Communications, Speech and Performance, Listening Labs, English Writing Lab, Dene literacy, Linguistics… Translation Methods, Interpreting Methods, Simultaneous and Consecutive Interpreting, and two Practica” (97).

One major challenge this program encountered was evaluation. No Dene native speaker had completed a degree in interpreting or translating or written a “CTIC” exam. Most elders were unilingual, and thus unable to evaluate simultaneous interpretation (as judged by the program). A second challenge was enrolment, which was endemically low, in part because potential students could not find housing for their families near each campus. Finally, I/T services were in such high demand that translators often did not need formal training to acquire a job.

Abstract: 

This report briefly outlines the historical developments of interpreter I translator training in the Northwest Territories. It describes the origins of the present Arctic College I IT programs at the Thebacha Campus in Fort Smith and Nunatta Campus in Iqaluit and describes their similarities and differences. It outlines admission requirements and course offerings and discusses some of the challenges faced in training aboriginal translators and interpreters.

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The full text of this article can be downloaded from erudit. 

Semsch, Marlene. “A Report on the Arctic College Interpreter-Translators Program.”  Meta 38, no. 1 (1993): 96-91.

Betty Harnum’s paper identifies the challenges faced by Dene language interpreters due to a lack of specialization and demand for a wide range of services. Dene Interpreters and Translators (I/Ts) have had to quickly adapt their languages to new concepts, items, and ideas. The author outlines the methods commonly used by I/Ts to create new nomenclature, specifically:

“a) borrowing a word from the source language, with various phonological changes (sound-changes) in order to adapt the pronunciation of the word to the available sound inventory of the target language;
b) creating a new lexical item by describing some feature(s) of the item, idea or concept; and
c) expanding or shifting the meaning of an existing word or phrase.” (105)

Terminological variation and inconsistency often creates problems for Dene language interpreters who should have more opportunities for training and terminology development.

Abstract:

In the Northwest Territories, there are daily demands for interpreting and translating in all the Dene languages. The people who perform this role rarely have the opportunity to specialize in any specific field, so they must try to develop an understanding of as many subjects as they can. This paper highlights some of the inter-lingual difficulties faced by the interpreters, along with a brief explanation of the methods used to develop new terminology in the Dene languages. It is demonstrated that the methods used in Dene language terminology development are the same as those used in other languages.

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DOI: 10.7202/003026ar

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Harnum, Betty. “Terminological Difficulties in Dene Language Interpretation and Translation.” Meta 38, no. 1 (1993): 104-106.

This is a scan of looseleaf notes, some typed, some hand-written, going over Dene language translations for terms related to government, world politics, emotions, the environment, and health. This document is interesting for the historical context shaping each definition. Some examples include:

Royal commission on aboriginal affairs
Dǫ dezǫ naáwo k’e eghálagı́de
People working on aboriginal issue

Political parties
Gogha ehkw’e k’é eghálats’éda
We follow what we believe

Communist
Ndéts’ǫ́ k’aáwo yatı k’é zǫ hǫɂǫ
They take only the government’s word

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Available from the Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨nę Gots’ę́ Nákedı archives. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for access and see the Release and User Agreement form on the database home page. 

North Slave Terminology List. Translated by Lucy Ann Yakelaya. Yellowknife: Government of the Northwest Territories Language Bureau, 1987.